Mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as one of the two cities in which the Israelites labored during their servitude in Egypt, Pi Ramesses—biblical Raamses (Exodus 1:11)—is fascinating for a several reasons, not the least of which is that it could help date the period of the Exodus. At least, that is what some archaeologists think.
Corresponding to the archaeological site of Qantir in northeastern Egypt, Pi Ramesses became Egypt’s capital during the reign of Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great (r. 1279–1213 BCE). Although the city was one of the largest and most splendid in Egypt at the time, it only survived for a little more than a century, as the branch of the Nile it was built on soon dried up, forcing the Egyptians to move their capital to the nearby city of Tanis, about 20 miles to the north. Not letting the building material of Pi Ramesses go to waste, however, the Egyptians took much of the city’s stones and transported them to Tanis, with some of the buildings of Pi Ramesses being rebuilt in their entirety in the new city.
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Given its short period of habitation, Pi Ramesses might well hold clues for dating the Exodus from Egypt, connecting the servitude of the Israelites to a dateable, extra-biblical city. To learn more about Pi Ramesses and how it might connect to the Exodus account, watch this video with Egyptologist Mark Janzen, Associate Professor of Archaeology and Ancient History at Lipscomb University.
This post first appeared on December 17, 2025.
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